Topless (Not Tasteless)

There’s a widely held belief among visitors to Las Vegas that adult-themed productions are necessarily trashy. Well, we think that’s flat-out wrong. Some of the Strip’s sexiest shows are actually pretty tasteful.

Take Donn Arden’s showgirl spectacular “Jubilee!” for instance. The Strip’s longest-running production, “Jubilee!” celebrated its 30th anniversary at Bally’s Las Vegas last year. Although the show features topless showgirls (a staple of Las Vegas entertainment back in the day), it’s the lavish costumes the showgirls are wearing that truly catch the eye. Coupled with extravagant production numbers — including a $3-million opening routine — it’s little wonder “Jubilee!” is considered a class act.

MGM Grand’s “Crazy Horse Paris” also puts topless shows in a new light — but they do it literally. Direct from the Crazy Horse Cabaret in Paris, the seductive production showcases the female form as art, projecting stunning light displays onto the dancers’ bodies. Each of the show’s sexy performers is also classically trained in ballet, so ticketholders are just as likely to find themselves mesmerized by the dancers’ graceful movements as their near-bare bodies.

Of course, if anyone can showcase the human body as an art form it’s Cirque du Soleil. Its tantalizing production “Zumanity” at New York-New York may be a bit naughty, but the outrageous cast knows how to put an audience at ease — even as the show explores the myriad mysteries of love and lust. From a sexy hula-hooping schoolgirl aerialist to a torrid tango between two men, “Zumanity” has something for everyone. By its provocative final act (appropriately titled “Orgy”), the show has made one thing gloriously clear: Sex is beautiful.